Gender

Publications

Submissions and Policy Papers

Submission to the Legislative Council Social Welfare Panel’s Subcommittee on Strategy and Measures to Combat Domestic and Sexual Violence: October 2015

Puja Kapai, Director of the Center for Comparative and Public Law, submitted her views with regards to support services for ethnic minorities facing domestic violence and sexual Violence. As part of the submission, she presented the results of her recent empirical study on how culture, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, immigration status, financial dependence and language barriers intersect to undermine the likelihood that the victims would seek help. The study’s findings identified perceptions of discrimination and the lack of culturally appropriate strategies and forms of assistance as indicators of the institutional incompetence of frontline responders on multiple levels. The full paper is available for download below.

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Submission to Legislative Council’s Security Panel on Police Undercover Operations for Vice Activities for Zi Teng, an organization working to protect the rights of sex workers: April 2006

Simon N M Young, Associate Professor

First submission Download

Administration’s response Download

Second submission Download

Submission to the Legal Policy Division on its Consultation Paper on Marital Rape and Related Sexual Offences, 17 December 2000

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Submission to the Legco Panel on Home Affairs on the Initial Report on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 9 November 1998

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Gender Initiatives for WSR Works
Principal Investigator: Puja Kapai
Project Period: Dec 2016 – (no deadline)
Funding Source: The Association of Commonwealth Universities

The Legal Enforcement of Contracts and Loan Agreements: The Role of Cultural Values in Theories of Consent and Vitiation
Principal Investigator: Puja Kapai
Project Period: 01/01/2012 – 30/06/2015 (extended)
Funding Source: General Research Fund

Delivering on the Promise of Equal Protection under the Law: Understanding the Experiences and Help-seeking Behaviours of Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom
Principal Investigator: Puja Kapai
Project Period: 2011-2013
Funding Source: HKU Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research
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Harnessing a Framework for Effective Remedies: A Comparative Analysis of the Legal Responses to Domestic Violence
Principal Investigator: Puja Kapai
Project Period: January 2009 – June 2010
Funding Source: Research Grants Council CERG 2008/2009
The HKSAR Government has recently amended the Domestic Violence Ordinance in an attempt to remedy some of the problems faced by the victim community. The continued appraisal of the law’s response to domestic violence is critical in order to make calculated further improvements and to move forward in the right direction. This project considers legal responses to domestic violence in Singapore and the United Kingdom and compares these approaches with the recent developments in Hong Kong. It will examine current legislation and case law in these jurisdictions in order to determine where Hong Kong stands on the spectrum of reform in domestic violence laws. The objectives of the study are to examine the civil and criminal remedies currently available in the three jurisdictions, evaluate the responsiveness and effectiveness of these remedies and to assess indicators of success.

CEDAW in Hong Kong
The CEDAW in Hong Kong project is an on-line resource of information on the application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to Hong Kong. From 1-2 February 1999 the United Nations CEDAW Committee heard the first Government report on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since the resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong by the Peoples’ Republic of China on 1 July 1997. We feature government reports to the Committee, shadow reports by Hong Kong NGOs and Committee conclusions as well as background information on CEDAW in Hong Kong and advice for NGOs lobbying the CEDAW Committee.

The January 2014 Joint Submission to CEDAW Committee is the culmination of the effort that began with the CEDAW Writing Workshop in the hope of bringing together as many Hong Kong civil society organisations as possible to contribute to a joint submission to the CEDAW Committee for Hong Kong’s upcoming hearing in October. Over the months, more and more NGOs have participated in the drafting exercise and contributed to the writing up of the report. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, the Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities and the Women’s Studies Research Centre at HKU, CCPL has together with 63 NGOs across Hong Kong submitted the joint submission for the CEDAW Committee’s information as part of the monitoring process under the CEDAW Mechanism. This will be useful to the Committee at its Pre-sessional meeting in early March 2014 and later in October 2014, when the HKSAR Government will be reporting on its progress under CEDAW.

Draft Report Outline of Second Report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (709KB, PDF), September 2002

CEDAW Impact Study on-line The first CEDAW Impact Study Final Report, with country reports on Canada, Germany, Japan, Nepal, the Netherlands, Panama, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and Ukraine. Introduction by Andrew Byrnes and Jane Connors. (Toronto: Centre for Feminist Research, York University and the International Women’s Rights Project, 2000)

Second Report on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (English and Chinese)

Occasional papers

No 4/02: Carole Petersen, June 2002

“Sexual Harassment in the Workplace”

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No 2/99: Moana Erickson, June 1999

“Implementing the CEDAW Convention in Hong Kong: Gender Policy Analysis”

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No 1/99: Andrew Byrnes, May 1999

“The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Violence against Women: Implications for Hong Kong ”

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Conference and Seminar Papers

Lecture and discussion: Shanthi Dairiam, Equality and Non-discrimination: Two Essential Principles for the Promotion and Protection of the Human Rights of Women, 20 April, 2002[PDF]

A noted women’s rights activist in the region, Ms Dairiam is the founder and executive director of International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific, a Kuala Lumpur-based women’s rights organization. She has extensive international and regional experience in women’s rights, spanning more than 25 years. Her area of focus has been on advocacy and training related to women’s rights and their articulation in international fora. The session will provide women’s rights activists, and others interested in the field, with the opportunity to discuss issues related to CEDAW, for example, the state’s reporting obligations and NGO drafting of shadow reports. Participants will also be able to discuss with Ms Dairiam issues involved in implementing international women’s rights standards at the national level, including through education and advocacy.

Seminar: CEDAW in Hong Kong, 28 November 1998 Detail